Refrigerating apparatus



June 24, 1930. I o. c. OLSEN 1,768,417

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 2. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 .553 r T 50 i .57 45' 2 I6 j Z? 28 I I I r/ I 2 r I A) a 27 I 2 3 l'lzvellfbl.

MPH fla dwi June 24, 1930. o. c. OLSEN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 24, 1930. o. c. OLSEN 1,768,417

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE OLAF c. onsmv, 0 CLEVELAND, OHIO, AssIeNoR 'oR'rwo-THIRDs TO THE BoRDEn 7 COMPANY, or WARREN, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO REPRIGRRATING APPARATUS Application filed May 2, 1927. Serial No. 188,093.

This invention relates to improvements in valve control apparatus for refrigerating systems.

One of the ,primary objects of the invention is the provision of a control apparatus for a refrigeration system which will maintain the evaporating coil full of liquid at all times, and hence enablethe system to operate with maximum efficiency.

Another object is to provide a casing throughwhichv the linefrom the compressor to the evaporating coil extends and including the expansion valve for that' line, and

- through which the line from the evaporating coil back to the compressor extends, the twolines being maintained entirely separate from each other, but the conditions in the return line being employed to control the operation of'the expansion valve which is 1n the other or outgoingline. v

Another object is the provision of astop, adjustable from the outside of the casing, for limiting the degree of opening of the expansion valve, it being possible also to manipulate the adjusting means so as to tightly close the expansion valve.

Still another object is the provision of means tending to provide an even circulation of lubricating oil.

Other objects, and objects relating to details of construction, will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for -the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a refrigerating system embodying my invention' 1 Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View of the {control casing and its mechanism, taken on a line corresponding with line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, to show a modified mounting for the valve stop Fig. 4 is a plan view of the casing with its 1 cover removed.

7 Referring first to Fig. 1, the refrigerant and 18 respectively.

The casing has two prmcipal compartcompressing and circulating pump, is illus-' 'trated at 10, and the control casing at 11 with the cover therefor at12. 13 is the condensing coil, and 14 is the evaporating coil forming the principal part of the refrigerating unit. The progress of the liquid and gaseous refrigerant through the system is in dicated in Fig. 1 by thev solid line and broken line arrows, respectively, while the conduit leading from the condensing coil to the control casing is marked 15, that from the control casing to the evaporating coil 16, that from the evaporating coil to the casing 17, and that from the casing back to the pump 18. I

As will be observed, the connecting conduits all go to the casing 11 so that the cover 12 may be removed for the purpose of inspection without disturbing any of the con-' nections, the stud bolts 19 being first removed. In order to make the casing fluidtight, a gasket 20 is interposed between the casing proper and its cover 12. The threaded sockets for the reception of the nipples or connectors between the various pipes and the casing 11 are marked 15', 16, 17" and 18', and correspond with condults 15, 16,- 17

ments, a float chamber 21 and an overflow chamber 22, separated by a dam 23. In the lower part of the overflow chamber is a cavity 24: which is formed partially by a recess in the bottom wall 0 and partly by a recess in the lower side of a horizontal partition wall 25 this cavity 24:

the chamber being divided into upper and lower portions by a, diaphragm 26 which extends horizontally across the cavity and is mounted between an interengaging annular shoulder and rib 27 and 28 respectively, annular gaskets being placed both directly above and directly below the diaphragm so as to produce a tight joint. Clamping pressure to hold the partition 25 in place may be exerted by stud bolts 29 or the like.

' Below the cavity 24 is a valve chamber 80 with a valve seat'31 adapted to receive a cone-shaped or needle valve 32 which has a head 33 fitted to slidably engage the side frigerant finds its exit at a lower pressure.

The valve 33 is normally urged toward open position by a light coil spring 36. A pas sage 35 for communicating the pressure in passage 35 to the lower side of the diaphragm 26 serves to balance the pressure on either side of the head 33- of the valve.

At the center of the partition wall there is an upstanding projection 37 which extends well above the level of the draw-off 38 to the pump through socket 18 and conduit 18. The projection 37- is centrally bored to receive loosely a pin 39 resting at its lower extremity on the diaphragm 26 in line with the head 33 of the valve 32. The upper end of the pin 39 carries a head 40 flattened at its sides and provided with a transverse slotted opening 41 through which extends a pin 42. The head 40 is straddled by bifurcations 43 on a lever 44, these bifurcations carrying the ends of the pin 42. The fulcrum for the lever 44 is provided by a pin 45 extending through the bifurcations 43 and mounted in ears or lugs 46 which extend upwardly from the projection 37. On the end of the long arm of the lever 44 there is a threaded extremity 47 for the reception of a threaded socket member 48 rigidly mounted upon a metal float 49 in the float chamber 21. To limit the height to which the float 49 may raise the pin 39 when the. level of liquid in the float chamber is low and thereby to limit the degree of opening of the valve'32, I provide a stop 50 which takes the form of a Vertically arranged pin with a flattened head 51. A coil spring 52 tends to raise the head 51. Over the top of the head 51 there extends the closed end of'a metal bellows. the lower or open end of which is soldered to an annular disk or diaphragm 54 which is mounted at its periphery between a pair of annular gaskets 55 and 56 and clamped in place. This clamping effect is accomplished in the preferred form shown in Fig. 2 by a disk 57 threaded upwardly from below into a shouldered socket in the cover provided for that purpose, the disk 57 having a central hole to accommodate the pin 50. In this case the disk 57 also furnishes the abutment for the lower end of spring 52. In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, there is an opening in the cover large enough to accommodate the pin 50 and the clamping of the annular diaphragm 54 is accomplished by; a hollow nut 55 which is meaaw threaded downwardly into a correspondingly threaded socket in the cover wall.

In both cases, there is securedto the top qt the bellows by any suitable means, as by soldering or welding, a reenforcing plate 56 with a slight depression in its upper face at the center which is engaged by a stud 67 threaded into an opening in the boss 58 in the case of Fig. 2, and in the hollow nut 55 in the case of Fig. 3. Movement of the p 50 in one direction is thus accomplished by screwing in the stud 67, while its movement in the opposite direction is accomplished by the spring 52 whenever the stud 67 is backed off to permit the spring to act.

As previously stated, it is my aim to maintain the coil 14 full of liquid so that it may operate at maximum efficiency. \Vhenever the level of the liquid in the coil falls below the top thereof, gas alone will flow through conduit 17 to the control apparatus. Now

there is a constant evaporation going on within the float chamber 21 as well as within the coil 14, in fact the chamber 21 is a part flows through conduit 17 into the float chamv ber, raising the level therein, whereupon the float rises and causes the pin 39 to be depressed and the valve 32 to be closed by means of the pressure of the pin 39 acting through the diaphragm 26 upon the head 33 of the valve, overcoming the action of spring 36. The valve will then remainclosed until evaporation has proceeded again to an extent sufficient to lower the float 49, enabling the latter to raise the pin 39 and permit the spring 36 to again open the valve 32. In practice, the periods of valve opening and closing follow each other in rapid succession so that for all practical purposes the coil 14 is maintained full of liquid continuously.

As the valve 32 is an expansion valve, it is necessary to limit the degree to which the downward movement of the float 49 may cause the valve to be opened, and this is accomplished. in my invention by a stop consisting of the pin 50, as previously explained. It is desirableto provide for the adjustment of this stop while the system is in operation, but ordinary methods of packing a lon i tudinally movable member are frequently not satisfactory in refrigerating systems because of the extreme difliculty in maintaining tight joints, particularly on the high pressure side of the line in which the valve is located. I overcome these difficulties, first, by locating my adjusting means on the low pressure side, which I am enabled to do on account of the control working through a diaphragm 26, and secondly, by the provision of the metal bellows 53 which positively seals the opening in the casing required for the movement-of the pin 50.

Lubricating oil which is mixedv with the liquid entering the float chamber 21 from the pipe 17 collects on the surface of the liquid in that chamber and flows oil over the dam 23 whenever the level of liquid rises sufliciently to permit that action. The over.

flow chamber 22 becomes filled with lubri-' cant up to the level of the bottom of the draw-ofl' passage 38, and as additional lubricant is delivered to this chamber from the chamber 21, it passes off, a small quantity at a time, through the pipe 18 back to the compressor. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a refrigerating system, a casing comprising a float chamber and an overflow chamber, said float chamber being-arranged to overflow into said overflow chamber, a take-off from the overflow chamber below the level of the overflow from said float chamber, a valve chamber below said overflow chamber, a valve therein, a diaphragm mounted directly above said valve, said valve chamber comprising a cover for said diaphragm including a projection upstanding above the level of said take-off, a valve operating rod mounted for sliding movement in said projection and engaging the diaphragm above the valve, a float in said float chamber, and an operative connection between said float and said valve operating rod, whereby liquid collecting in said overflow chamber is prevented from flowing into the space between the diaphraghm and its cover.

2. In a refrigerating system, a casing, a passage through the bottom of said casing adapted to be connected in series between the condensing coil and evaporating coil of the system, a valve in the casing arranged to control said passage, said casing having a cavity above said valve, a diaphragm dividing said cavity into two compartments, a take-off for fluid in said casing above said cavity, means for operating said valve.

through the intermediacy of said diaphragm, said casing having an internal portion upstanding 7 through which portion said means extends.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a circulating system including an evaporating coil and a condensing coil, a casing having a float chamber and an overflow chamber, a dam between said two cham bers, a connection to said float chamber from above the level of said take-ofl ber from contacting with said diaphragm.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a circulating system including an evaporating coil and a condensing coil, a casing "having a float chamber and an over:

flow chamber, a dam between said two chambers, a connection to said float chamber from said evaporating coil, a take-0E from said evaporating coil located below the level of said dam, a valve chamber in said casing below the level of said .take-ofl', a continuation of said valve chamber extending above the level of said take-ofl', a passage in said casing connecting said condensing coil and said evporating' coil, a valve in said valve chamber arranged to control said passage, a float in said float chamber, operating connections for said valve actuated by said float and extending through said continuation of said valve chamber, and adiaphragm between said valve chamber and said continuation separating said valve from said operating connections.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature. I

OLAF C. OLSEN.- 

